Déjà Vu
Do you know the word *déjà vu*?
According to the memories of my past life, it is that strange sensation of feeling as though you have already experienced something you are encountering for the very first time. In French, the phrase means “already seen.”
That was precisely the feeling washing over me at this moment.
“…You’ve come looking for old armor again, have you?”
The merchant who had once sold us a hundred pieces of equipment for ten gold coins—the owner of the Garga Armor Shop—regarded us with an expression of utter exhaustion.
“Hmm. Ahem.”
Seraphina, who had been hiding behind my back, took a single hesitant step forward.
“My old armor… doesn’t exceed two gold coins.”
She really was a pair of lunatics.
The shopkeeper let out a long sigh, his face saying he already knew exactly what was coming, then shrugged as if to say we could do as we pleased.
Seraphina’s cheeks flushed crimson with shame. She scurried toward the storeroom at the back of the shop. Just before she disappeared inside, she shot me a resentful glare. I mouthed the words “two gold coins” at her. She bowed her head and fled deeper into the warehouse.
*Everyone goes through this phase.*
Once you acquire a new skill, the urge to test it is impossible to resist.
“Will you not be accompanying her?”
“I have business on this side.”
“…Welcome!!!”
The man’s sudden change in demeanor was rather entertaining.
“I’m looking for the thickest armor possible—something suitable for a jousting match.”
“A-a jousting match!!!”
Most people who stood on the battlefield possessed some form of blessing. Armor was therefore crafted with that power in mind. Jousting armor, in particular, was built to withstand the destructive force of a knight’s mounted charge. The iron itself differed from ordinary plate, and the thickness of the plates was unmatched. If a blessing granted only modest strength, the wearer might not even be able to rise after a fall.
That was the sort of equipment used in jousting matches.
“Just a moment! Please wait just a moment!!!”
Naturally, only knights of a certain rank—most of them nobles—participated in jousts. Which meant the armor they wore was correspondingly expensive.
*So this place carries them after all.*
When I had asked for old armor last time, the merchant had shown me antique pieces priced similarly to jousting gear. I had suspected he might stock a few sets of this caliber, and it turned out I was right.
“This way! Right this way!!!”
Following the shopkeeper’s urgent gestures, I found five suits of jousting armor lined up along one wall.
*The style is a little dated, but for something I’ll only use while passing through, this is more than enough.*
I rubbed my hands together and looked at the merchant, who was watching my reaction carefully.
“The sturdiest and heaviest one you have.”
“In that case, I recommend this set! It was forged by a retired master blacksmith named Rodon. Though the design is older, it is made from a special iron that can restore minor damage on its own when infused with mana!!!”
It was the closest match to what I had been searching for.
*The base price is probably somewhere between nine hundred and a thousand gold coins. If it’s been sitting in stock, he’ll likely accept less.*
A full plate mail made from ordinary iron ran between one hundred and two hundred gold coins. When rarer dungeon iron was used, the price rose by one and a half to two times depending on the purity. Jousting armor required far more metal than standard plate, driving the cost even higher. Because such pieces were only used in the specialized context of jousts, turnover was low. No matter how fine the armor, if it did not sell it was merely dead weight taking up space. Factoring in storage and maintenance costs, the merchant would surely be willing to part with it at a reasonable price.
*Let’s see…*
***
The day after spending 842 gold coins.
My brother asked what new skill I had learned and why I was wearing such an absurdly heavy suit of armor. I answered with nothing but the plain truth.
“It’s a skill that makes me considerably sturdier. Even if you and Seraphina attacked me together, I doubt you could break through the barrier.”
While I spoke, I began moving to acclimate myself to the unfamiliar weight of the armor. Ahren drew Bloodbane, his brow furrowing as he regarded me.
“You’re being far too arrogant, Edwin.”
Seraphina, who had been listening, narrowed her eyes as well.
“Perhaps that would have been true before. But I am different now. Do not underestimate me, Lord Edwin.”
Impact Dispersion was merely a stepping stone toward skills I would learn later. Yet when paired with armor this ridiculously durable—armor that could even repair itself—the combination changed everything.
*I never had the money to pursue this build before. Now that I do, I might as well test it.*
“Been living on nothing but lies? Then come at me together.”
At my words, Ahren smiled thinly, Bloodbane in hand, while Seraphina’s Astrape flashed as she grinned. After using Bloodbane only to bully weaker opponents, he seemed eager for a real fight. And here was his little brother, conveniently wearing armor that could be beaten to death without consequence. The perfect punching bag had appeared.
*She’s no pushover either.*
Seraphina wore a similar expression. It was as though she were facing a second round against the Seraphina Buster; her gaze held a trace of the past. She had already learned the skill “Armor Break.” She clearly believed the outcome would be different this time.
“I know jousting armor is expensive because it is durable. Still, do you truly intend to face people who have overcome far more trials than you—without even a shield?”
“This is your last chance to beg forgiveness, Lord Edwin.”
Having secured an ally in my brother, Seraphina’s confidence had soared. At first she had looked uncertain whether even Armor Break would suffice, but with Ahren joining her she seemed convinced of victory.
“I’m being serious.”
I struck my chest with a fist, provoking them. Ahren drew a small cut across his palm, feeding blood to Bloodbane.
“Don’t blame the armor when it breaks.”
He intended to end the fight quickly.
“Do not add this to my debt, Lord Edwin!”
Seraphina was no different. Astrape, brimming with mana to its limit, let out a piercing cry. I confirmed their stances, then slowly raised both arms into a guard position.
*This should be enough.*
The meeting of Impact Dispersion and a tin can.
I would show them the result.
I waited for their attacks.
*Whoosh!*
*Crackle!*
Both moved at once.
Ahren charged straight at me from the front. Seraphina—
*No, where did your knightly honor go…?*
—swung her sword from behind my back with ruthless efficiency.
It was no longer a duel. It was a one-sided beating.
***
Ariella had been wandering the grounds in search of Edwin.
*It’s just… I was curious what he was doing, that’s all…*
She had safely completed her debutante ball, an event that had once filled her with nothing but dread. At the center of it all had been Edwin. She wanted to thank him, even if only with a single word.
Yet Edwin had been so busy that he had not shown his face once since the ball.
*He seemed to be talking with Lady Seraphina about something.*
For some reason, that bothered her.
As she looked around, a sound easily recognizable even from a distance reached her ears.
*Crackle!*
*Flash!*
*Lady Seraphina…*
Her steps quickened of their own accord. She did not know why, but a sudden urgency gripped her. Ariella hurried toward the source of the noise.
It did not take long before the training ground assigned to the Levan brothers came into view.
“…Huh?”
Something she had never imagined was unfolding at the center of the training ground.
*Boom!*
Ahren’s sword swung toward Edwin’s chest. A moment later a crimson slash erupted, accompanied by an ominous roar—the same terrifying red slash that had once torn Edwin’s helmet apart like paper.
Immediately afterward, Astrape, wreathed in blue lightning, slashed mercilessly across Edwin’s back.
*Crackle—!*
A blinding flash of light burst forth.
Under the relentless barrage, Edwin offered no resistance. Without the shield that was his trademark, he merely covered his head with both arms, as though praying for the moment to end.
“What are you doing right now!!!”
Why? Why? Why?
What was happening?
Her body moved before her thoughts could catch up.
Aria, sensing her contractor’s will, acted.
*Whoosh—!*
Ariella’s power was still weak; she had not yet received the spiritist’s blessing. She could not physically separate the three of them, but she could forcibly interrupt the flow of battle.
*Flash!*
Flower petals bloomed in every direction, carried on the wind.
Recognizing her, Ahren and Seraphina slowly lowered their swords and turned to face Ariella.
“Are you all right?! Are you hurt anywhere—”
Once the two had sheathed their blades, Ariella rushed toward Edwin in a panic.
Her heart plummeted.
What if he was injured?
What terrible mistake had he made to bring this upon himself?
Why? Why? Why?
The questions kept rising in her mind.
Yet the Edwin who had been taking the beating bore not a single scratch.
“Ah, good morning. What brings you here, Lady Ariella?”
His armor was covered in sword marks and dents. It looked pitiful at a glance.
But the man wearing that armor greeted her with perfect composure.
“Haa, haa, haa…”
Ahren had driven Bloodbane into the ground of the training field and was breathing heavily. His lips had turned pale; he looked thoroughly spent.
“This is impossible… I even learned Armor Break…”
Seraphina sat on the ground, Astrape dangling from her hand, her face hollow. The confident expression she had worn moments earlier—certain that Armor Break would be enough—had vanished completely.
Ariella glanced around in confusion before her eyes settled on Edwin, who merely shrugged.
“See? I told you so.”
On the surface, Edwin appeared to be the victim.
Yet right now he looked like an infuriating perpetrator.
*Ah, so this is the kind of person he is…*
She had worried for nothing.
That was what Ariella thought.